The invention relates generally to apparatuses and methods for cleaning. More specifically, the invention is an apparatus and method for cleaning that utilizes vacuum technology (collectively the “apparatus”).
According to the October 2010 issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Americans take an average of 5,117 steps each day. Even though many Americans rely on motorized transport to take them to destinations for work, school, shopping, and recreation, the average American still walks more than 2 miles each day. The typical person takes approximately 2,000 steps per mile.
Any article of clothing gets dirty over time. However, footwear is particularly susceptible to becoming dirty because of the repeated contact to the ground and the outdoor environment. When walking outside, footwear is exposed to the elements such as snow, sand, water, dirt, mud, dust, slush, ice, and other substances (collectively “debris”).
The accumulation of debris on footwear is not just a matter of aesthetics. Debris can make it easy for the wearer of the footwear to slip and fall. Nor is the accumulation of footwear debris only a problem for the wearer of the footwear. Offices, retail stores, auditoriums, sports arenas, schools, industrial sites, and other settings are impacted by the accumulated footwear debris of their visitors. For example, the accumulated footwear debris brought into a shopping mall during the winter Christmas holiday season can be a significant aesthetic and safety issue for the mall. Footwear debris can also create problems relating to health, hygiene, and sanitation in places such as restaurants and hospitals.
The accumulation of debris on the foot is not limited to interior environments. For example, beach goers at an ocean side resort may bring unwanted sand from the beach into an exterior pool area, hotel, boat, restaurant, or automobile.
It retrospect, it would be desirable to provide people with a convenient and cost efficient technology capable of cleaning feet, footwear, and even other items capable of being encumbered with debris. In hindsight, it would also be desirable for such technology to utilize vacuum suction so that the person using the technology does not need to exert physical effort in removing debris from their person or possessions.
Unfortunately, the prior art teaches away from such approaches for a variety of reasons. The potential for user error and resulting safety issues deter against vacuum approaches in automated technologies. Such considerations are further complicated by the significant variety of different footwear and foot characteristics to be processed by a one-size-fits-all approach.
A small child will weigh significantly less than a large-framed obese adult male. The universe of women's shoes includes some very narrow heels that could conceivably get stuck in a vacuum-based cleaning device. Insufficient suction (or insufficient vacuum conditions) precludes effective cleaning. Conversely, sufficient suction power can cause problems if the geometry of the device or the cleaned item permits the cleaned item to become stuck in the device.